Resurgent
by My-Resurgence
Summary: The world is divided into five factions based off virtues and beliefs. It is hard live there when both your parents have passed and you had to raise yourself to survive in the world. And it makes it just as hard to live in a world where you are different. In this case, difference is deadly. That means, so is she, in more ways than one. Based off Divergent. One choice can decide you
1. Chapter 1

I'm always held at the very place I had wished to escape. I wish to fly beyond the forbidden gateways, into the forbidden skies and to soar beyond anyone who had tried to hold me back. There's no freedom here, no chance here, where you have to make sacrifices for everyone else besides yourself.

All anyone knows here is how to be selfless, but I am selfish. Abnegation, the selfless as says the manifesto. I'm not true to this; I don't belong here. I can't be selfless, I can't make sacrifices against myself and for others, the strive to protect myself always prevails over the rules I'm supposed to hold so dear to my life.

Faction before Blood. In my world, everyone is sorted into factions. These factions are life as we know it. Without them, we are nothing.

The factions were formed in the aftermath of a huge war. Those who blamed the human nature's faults on selfishness, became Abnegation. Those who blamed ignorance became Erudite, the Intelligent. Those who blamed war and fighting became Amity, the Peaceful. Those who blamed duplicity and deception became Candor, the Honest. Those who blamed cowardice, the cruelest faction of the five, became Dauntless, the Brave.

Soon all the sixteen year olds will be taken to the Choosing Ceremony, where we must cut open our hands with a knife and allow our blood to spill over a symbol of each faction. It's all I know for now, I had preferred not to watch as parents of faction transfers cried or yelled over their children's decisions. Faction choices are permanent and you cannot alter your decision. But to truly become a member of the faction chosen, you must complete initiation.

I'm sixteen, and I'll be transferring. All I have left are some friends which I think are bound to remain Abnegation, it seems as if their loyalty and selflessness have decided for them. They'll all be together, but me, I don't know where I belong.

I could belong anywhere I guess, but it's my choice. I have no doubts Amity is the safest way to go, their neutrality and being a vital faction protects them. Abnegation, the Erudite are attacking us with reports for for even the slightest of mistakes. They accuse us of not running the government but instead giving food to the factionless.

The factionless are the group of people who have failed initiation or removed from their factions or decided to leave themselves. Many prefer death over being factionless, but I'd rather live my life until it's my turn to leave.

"Diana, would you like a cherry? We got them fresh from Amity," offers my selfless friend Adeline.

She's a white hedgehog with boring square shaped bangs and her short quills are up in a bun. She wears a short gray dress up to her knees and a gray sweater on top. The sweater's buttons are buttoned up to perfection with the cheap transparent material.

Unlike regular hedgehog quills, her quills curve outward and away from her head. Of course we selfless folk thought she looked much better in a bun and hiding the unusual natural curves of her quills. She didn't mind, of course. She had to not mind. We aren't allowed to be selfish.

She has beautiful amethyst purple eyes that gleam and long curving eyelashes. She's extremely pale and skinny. Many of the Erudite reported on her, too. Saying she was well underfed and abnormally underweight was something she found it hard to deal with. But of course, with selfless nature upon you, you must act as if it is nothing.

"No, thank you," I say, gently pushing the bowl of cherries in Adeline's hands away.

The bowl is a light grey with rounded tips and smooth as glass. It doesn't look flawed at all. Sometimes I wonder who make these. But it's hard to think any other faction other than Abnegation would make grey bowls.

"But Diana," objects Elias. "We can't eat until everyone is served, remember? Abnegation tradition."

Elias is a particularly bright orange hedgehog. His quills are messy, but yet they are shaved short against his head. He looks strange that way. I've also noticed his face would appear far more handsome if his quills were allowed to grow out, but no. He is always scolded of his bright orange color and must cover any areas possible.

Abnegation colors are only grey, because it makes it easier to forget ourselves. Anyway, the color grey is far overlooked and easy to forget.

Both Elias' parents were from Amity and wanted to try something new. Elias' mother died in child birth, yet his father was yet so friendly and kind. Elias was always energetic with positive energy, like an Amity would. Sometimes I want to ask him where he wants to go, but I'm not curious. I prefer to be emotionless and carry on with life, asking questions when only necessary.

He is tan with amazing scarlet eyes that attempt to capture me, yet I can constantly and easily look away. He is an Amity, but I don't think he would leave since he is so loyal. He wears a grey turtleneck and grey jeans and sweater with no buttons.

I am Diana Ixia. Everyone renamed me Diana Clear, which is easy to forget. I wear a sweater buttoned tight up to my neck and underneath a bottom ruffled dull grey shirt. I wear dull grey leggings and dull grey boots. I'm a brown hedgehog, with long quills and short quills near the side of my face with curving inward bangs. I am somewhat pale but darker than Adeline with lowered eyelids. My eyes are an extremely dark brown, almost black. When I rarely stare into the mirror of my bathroom to do my quills, I have asked myself countlessly how long I've had those menacing eyes.

But I can't recall anyone who had them. My mother was blonde with my skin but light hazel walnut eyes. She didn't have lowered eyelids which made her look kind, sweet, and selfless. I am menacing, and I don't hide that. I'm proud to be myself, yet I'm ashamed of my eyes. Hard to be selfless with dark menacing eyes, sometimes I feel people want to run away from me.

"Fine," I say emotionlessly yet somewhat rushed and take a cherry by it's stem and plop it onto my plate.

I stare at it as it tilts to the side, and I realize that Elias and Adeline are also watching and observing me. I feel awkward under their gazes, like they are surrounding me in an oven and heating me up inside to unbearable heat.

"Go ahead, I'll eat when you're all done," I say quietly to snap them back to the present.

"That's all you're going to eat?" Elias asks me in a confused tone.

I nod.

He just stares at me and then at his plate and begins to eat slowly, as does Adeline. We eat in silence. Afterward we all clean up and wash the dishes by hand. After they left I am to myself.

I walked out onto the balcony as a breeze threatens to whip me backwards. I still walk out and brace the pounding winds against my small helpless body.

I am strong.

I stand over to the railing of my house and see that every house has one. I'm the only one out on the balcony at this time at night.

I am unusual.

I place my hands delicately along the railing keeping me from falling to my doom. The railing is grey, the only color that is dominant in this faction.

I am intelligent.

I can think as far as I want to, I can understand everything I hear even though I may disagree with it. I can think of many ways to outwit others that would help me if I chose Erudite in just three days.

I am not honest.

I can't be honest no matter what. I'm good at hiding the truth, however. It is dangerous; it is deadly.

I am not kind.

I don't strive to be kind anyway. Nor do I want to. I prefer my strong and seemingly fearless approach to everything. It is why I am unique.

I am selfish.

I can't be selfless even if I tried, I am honest to that point. But I'm probably no honest in another way.

I am brave.

I'm not afraid of death. Death comes when it comes as it desires, not to anyone's control. I believe in Justice, and Justice is more important than peace. Justice is having someone punished for murder; Peace is letting someone go to keep tranquility with that single person.

I narrow my eyes and stare along the grey street. No one is outside, so they can't see me here. I breathe in the air as if comes slowly. I feel free in the air, as if I could fly and be the brave, determined, somewhat gentle and not completely honest person I am.

It's my choice. Amity the Peaceful, Abnegation the Selfless, Erudite the Intelligent, Candor the Honest, or Dauntless the Brave.

One choice can seal my fate, forever if I live beyond the initiation. I want to be loyal like I am, but this choice I can be one thing, selfless of selfish. But I am selfish. I don't know where to go, but I don't intend to find comfort anywhere. I'll deal with this myself, and myself only. I won't go for help. I'll stay strong. I'll stay brave.

Maybe the simulation test could help me decide, or maybe not. I could get any result or two results though it's highly unlikely. What will the simulation be though? What do my results depend on?

It could be anything from one test from each faction to five test from each faction. I've never been in a simulation, and it's not real. I don't believe in it.

It has to come from me, the hedgehog who seals her fate with life or death, peace or violence, truth or lie, ignorance or intelligence, selflessness or selfishness, even bravery against cowardice.

It's my fate.

It's my choice.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I was tending to my quills. Combing them smoothly as I had been taught long ago by my mother, who has long since passed.

Today is the simulation, I think to myself as I try to be satisfied with the way I combed my quills. I bring a thick bobby pin and hold my quills so that the bobby pin holds them up in a big tight bun. A normal and natural Abnegation hairstyle, but I don't like it.

I frown deeply at myself in the mirror, clearly disappointed in some way at myself. My eyes don't gleam with the unsatisfied emotion like most. My expression is soft and vague, like it's almost nothing at all. All my emotions are somewhat similar, and this could be useful anywhere. But not in Amity, where everyone is kind and smiling. No, but it's safer there.

I feel as though I'm clueless, and I don't think I've ever felt as clueless like this before. I'm not allowed to prepare myself for the simulation in any way. I don't know what to expect, or what it will hold that tests all my abilities.

I stare into my own brown depths until a ringing of the doorbell breaks my trance. I hurry down the stairs and nearly trip down the third one down. I squint my eyes as I regain balance. I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from muttering some awful words which had recently come to mind. The gray steps are dull and make me instantly forget about them.

I twist the gray doorknob and there stand Adeline and Elias. They are ready to take me to the test, the simulation which will influence my choice. The choice that seals my fate that I will have to stand by and defend with all my strength, where I cannot resign from.

We walk slowly along the gray cement and catch up with the other Abnegation. They are our age, and they're making their way to the bus stop for school. The bus stop is a gray stop sign and a gray bench, just like we've been taught. Except in school everything is in color, while here it is bound to be forgotten.

The simulations, tests, are held at school. What I do know about the tests are that we have to wait in the cafeteria until our names are called with all the other faction members. The rules say we cannot be tested by people from our same factions so we are matched up with a test instructor randomly. You usually get on faction result, or two, or even three, but it is highly unlikely and people like that are monitored closely beyond my understanding.

The task is simple, but I'm not so sure.

The simulation was developed by Jeanine Mathews, representer for the faction Erudite. She is extremely smart and manipulative. She has invented much of our technology, and I have to give her credit. I don't know much more about Erudite since we aren't supposed to discuss things beyond our own factions that aren't of any importance because most of us don't care.

I know I hate Jeanine Mathews. I hate Erudite. The reports are completely biased, yet everyone believes them. No one uses sense here but me. I can only stand by idly as they can believe what they want and I have no say at all against what they think. They don't believe in Justice, I do. I strongly believe in Justice to the point of death. I'm willing to provide Justice for those who are weaker than I am, weaker willed, and ignorant to what the factions have really done to us.

They say the factions sealed away all the flaws we all have within us, but what they are actually doing is putting a cap above a fizzing soda until the soda finally bursts and everything flies out. It's much better if we deal with our flaws at hand then locking them away and putting more stress on ourselves than we can handle. We can't handle this, but the Erudite don't care.

They target us because we run the government. We are selfless and give food and clothing to the factionless. In return we get the conflict of the coldest and manipulative faction here.

I sit down in a two seater next to Adeline, who smiles encouragingly at me. Her purple eyes flash slightly, and then she turns away. Today she wears a gray long sleeved shrug and a gray skirt up to her knees, exposing her skinny white legs. Her shoes are plain, just like everything else. She has a pretty face, but here in Abnegation we have to hide how attractive we are.

I hate Abnegation too. It's all about caring about other people, but what about us? So we technically have to kill ourselves to protect factionless and give them things we might need. But no, we are selfless, we have to forget ourselves. And then we must all sacrifice our lives for even the people we hate, great, another accomplishment that I refuse to join in on.

They can do what they want, I hate all the factions anyway. But I still have to choose, unless I get away with being in hiding or become automatically factionless. Personally, I'd die than be factionless because then I am truly stuck and then entirely useless. The factionless are ignored and are thought to be in the way of our development, as say the Erudite. They did a good job brainwashing us because even I, Diana, believe this is also true no matter how many rebellious thoughts I've had against our society.

I've never been raised by Abnegation parents since my mother died when I was young and I decided to live by myself to spare the other Abnegation. I'm too much work to raise and I'd be a waste of time.

Dull, gray builds pass while my eyes watch each and every single one, but then bored and skimming the rest to find anything that does catch my eye. Like I expected, nothing did seem to scream at me a cry,"Look at ME! I'M INTERESTING". I slump in my seat and narrow my eyes skimming the rows of people on the bus.

We've made it to so many stops I lost count. But I see a Candor fox and a little girl fox sitting together with an older male fox. He looks about my age. He's probably transferring. I don't even have to ask, I'm not curious, I'm smart enough to know for myself my prediction is correct.

"Daddy, does everyone have to take these tests?" The fox girl asks. She can't be more than six years old.

"Yes, Carmen, everyone must take these tests," the Candor fox replies.

He's wearing a black tie and a white shirt and black pants, the average clothing for Candor. White and black, truth and lie. That's how they see everything, worst thing is, if they ask you for the truth and you tell them a lie, they'll know you lied. The Candor students talked about how their parents told them to search for the signs of lies when one person talks.

I shudder at the thought. I wonder if I chose Candor what the initiation would be like. I'd only know if I was Candor or if I chose it, I'll see later.

The bus stops and we all get off. We stand in front of the school and I hear a loud whistling noise howling in my eardrum. A train. The Dauntless have arrived.

The pitch black train still goes fast, and I don't know if I noticed if it had sped up. I see the doors of the train open and people in dark clothing throw themselves out the doors like a garbage bag into a garbage bin. The tumble as they land like bouncing balls tumbling down a fairly large hill. Some are different, however, some stumble and hold their arms out until they regain balance.

I see a boy hedgehog wrap his arms around a girl bat's shoulders laughing and panting. She starts laughing, too, and soon they are swept out of my view by a group of Erudite.

I quickly turn away when I see them walk by me, paying no attention to me. Behind them follow and group of Amity girls, laughing and chattering away happily. None of them could really care less, could they? They are all fools, and it's a foolish practice to watch them.

The Abnegation in line in front of the door are silent and observe them. I see a small Abnegation fox standing by the door as two gruff looking Dauntless hedgehogs shove him carelessly out of the way. They did it on purpose, and there isn't anything I could hate more. Except maybe Jeanine, and Abnegation, and lots of other things.

I feel my fingernails pierce my skin as they turn around and decide to walk from behind us and push us all out of they way, just for fun. I heard them talking. I hear people drop to the ground and say nothing, but instead lie there. They're just behind me, in fact, as I hear the person behind me fall to the ground.

And then they shove me off my feet. But I don't fall, even though I felt I'd just lost my footing, I'm perfectly still. I hear the two Dauntless gasp at how still I am, only observing them just out of the corner of my eye, hopefully my expression vague and unreadable. I don't want them to read the hatred seeping deep inside my dark eyes. My hatred is betrayal of the Abnegation, but I couldn't care any less right now.

They stare at me and start to run away, like I had just turned into a cloud of dust of evil magic. I watch the clouds rising under their feet as they sprint away, to another group of Dauntless. They are murmuring things and pointing at me, and then is when I avert my eyes.

The line of Abnegation has begun to move forward, and I follow. Next to me is a line of Erudite, and they are all way taller than I am. Abnegation were always small, but I never knew how extremely until compared with all the other factions.

We are led to a section of the school, the large conference room. There are sections of chairs together, and I feel Elias' hand close over mine as he pulls me forward and into a chair next to him. On my right is Adeline, who beams at me. A sign of encouragement. I wave but don't smile, or my mental structure and appearance would fall apart.

I see a stage rise out of the floor and then steps on an Erudite hedgehog. She wears a blue skirt, blue buttoned shirt, blue high heeled shoes, and black rimmed glasses. Her eyes are a clear blue color, she looks pale, and has short trimmed blonde quills.

Jeanine Mathews.

I glance sideways at Elias, who seems entranced at staring at Jeanine Mathews. I knew he thought her pretty, but I wouldn't drool over her now if I were him. I'd also have some common sense.

"Hello everyone," she starts, glancing at each section of the room. Everyone is silent, it is eerie. I cross my arms over my chest and breathe slowly. I hate that woman. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her. No hatred can overcome that hatred of her.

"You are all here for a test, a test that will define, transform, and justify you," she continues. It sounds funny when she says the word that sounds like Justice, considering that she's only been justifying and giving me a better reason to want her factionless. But it won't happen, because, she's the leader.

"The simulation will give you and insight on who you are. This will help us control our society. We can develop ourselves and vanquish our flaws. So," she smiles and claps her hands together. "Let the tests begin."

There is shuffling and we are suddenly all on our feet again. We walk far, but I don't know where we are going with all the people in my sight, so I just follow behind Elias, who seems to be slightly skipping with each step he takes. I press my sweating hands against my sides. But I try not to smirk as I hear him hum softly.

"Amity," I mutter under my breath with slight satisfaction. He is Amity, but he'll stay Abnegation because he doesn't want to leave. He feels like the life of the party here, if he leaves he'll have to develop himself again.

"Diana," I hear him whisper and he turns around. "Which faction?" He grins at me like Thanksgiving was moved up to next Saturday. "Candor?"

"Don't me me laugh," I say defensively. "I'm not like those crazy lie detecting freaks."

He laughs. "You have a way with words."

I don't know whether it was a compliment or an insult. But I don't have time to respond, we've entered the cafeteria. Elias and I are separated, and instead I'm with Adeline, who is fumbling with her fingers nervously. So, she has some sense.

"Hey, Diana," she greets me. "I've decided my faction just now."

"Good," I reply. "One less struggle for you."

She stifles a laugh. I frown to myself. I'm not trying to be funny. Or is it something about just the simulation day that suddenly makes my emotionless and blunt tone seem heavenly and delightful? I lower my head on the table and turn the other way away from Adeline, who is discussing something with a peach rabbit next to us.

The other table away from us is an Amity table. They are playing a game which involves clapping their hands together to the tune of a rhyming song, and they laugh and call out when one girl misses and smile when she goes to sit in the middle.

Behind us are the Dauntless. I hear grunting behind me, but don't bother to turn around. They are arm wrestling each other, and they are boys. This game involves pinning down your opponent's arm and counting to whichever number you could bother to recite, and the other person who's arm is pinned down loses.

Farther away are a group of Erudite, who are holding books and all wearing glasses and turning the book this way and that, possibly talking about it. That's just like them. They love knowledge, and they just want more and more. Knowledge never ends according to them, there isn't anything more priceless in the world.

In front of the Amity are Candor. They seem to be making wild gestures and arguing, maybe about politics? I'm not sure, but politics is too dull for me to even think about, reminds me of Abnegation.

"Adeline Refudge and Diana Ixia?" A voice calls out.

Both Adeline and I stand. I recognize the boys from outside that tried to shove me over. They point at me and murmuring goes on at their table. They cup the other persons ears and something I don't bother to know about spreads.

I turn my attention away from the table and look forward. A Candor lady escorts us to two rooms straight down the hall. These are the private rooms used for special testing.

Adeline takes the room to the right and I take the room to the left. I see a peach Dauntless cat readying a computer after a series of letter and numbers had vanished from the screen. She gives me a warm smile.

"Here, sit here."

It is a large black chair. I do as I'm told with no hesitation, eager to get this over with.

She walks over to a counter and I hear liquid stirring over there. I glance out the window blindly to distract myself. I see clouds floating slowly across the sky. I then look back and notice she has a tattoo on her shoulder that her black tang top didn't cover.

It is a flaming sun there. I'm suddenly curious.

"Why a flaming sun?" I blurt out unintentionally.

"Never met a curious Abnegation, ever," she replies, looking at me. "I used to be afraid cold nights where everything was dark."

"Darkness, then?" I ask.

"Yeah. The sun lights up the darkness and the flames give me warmth. Now I'm over that fear." She hooks up a few wires to my forehead.

She's a peach cat with black eyes. She wears a black tank top and black jeans. She has on black sneakers with black shoelaces.

She turns around after she hooked up all the wires to me forehead and hands me a silver plastic cup. Inside the cup is an orange looking liquid.

"What's this?" I say pointing at it.

"Just drink it," she answers.

I wait a long time, but she seems patient. I hear whistling of the wind from outside, and I slowly try to calm my heart rate so I can't hear it thumping hard in my chest. I try and breathe in and out slowly, it helps a little.

Then I press the plastic to my lips with no further questions, and a flavorless liquid runs smoothly down my throat. It feels like I'd just swallowed venom, but it's so plain and dull, like Abnegation.

And everything goes black.

I find myself in the cafeteria again, but it's empty. I see a woven basket appear in front of me, a green ribbon on top.

"Choose." A voice commands in my head. It isn't mine, it's someone I know but can't remember.

In the basket is a circular mold of cheese, and next to it is a razor sharp blade, a knife. I'm confused. I don't know what to do. I feel suddenly stubborn and cross my arms and look the other way, my mouth in a firm line.

"Have it your way." The voice says and the basket disappears.

The door suddenly bursts open, a white wolf looking dog stands there, it's teeth bared at me as if I were some sort of wild boar. It's lips are pulled back around its teeth, and deep in its throat there is a growl.

Now I see why the cheese would have been an option, or the knife. But it's too late now. I'm stuck here with no help or clues, with a menacing dog. I cannot outrun it, it's too fast. I cannot tip over a table onto it, I'm too small and weak for the heavy weight crushing table.

All I know is not to lie down, making my head level with it's teeth. But I do, I lie there still as I could get. I try not to breathe, but end up gasping for air. I hear the dog's footsteps coming closer, and closer.

I see it above my head, it's eyes still angry. I avoid looking it in the eyes, because I know that is a sign a aggression. I also know dogs can smell fear. What else do I know about dogs?

And I feel something rough and wet against my cheek. The dog just licked my cheek. I don't have to be scared anymore, and I slowly get to my feet and pat the dog gently on it's head. It's so different from the dog I saw a few moments ago, the dog that looked ready to behead me.

I smile slightly. "Well, you aren't really vicious after all?"

I hear a shrill voice suddenly and jerk my head up. A little hedgehog girl in a pink dress and pigtails runs into the room and yells,"Puppy!"

That sets the dog off. It growls and starts at her. With my selfless training in mind, I don't think. I just jump and wrap my arms around the dog's thick neck and we both pummel to the ground. I fell wind rushing inside of me, and then a bang. Blackness again.

Now I'm on a bus. All the seats are taken. I see a vicious looking Candor man reading a newspaper. He has scars on his arms and is wearing sun glasses. He looks up at me suspiciously.

"Do you know this person?" He asks me, pointing at a picture under a big black headline,"Suspect Accused of Murder". The word "murder" sticks into my head like glue.

"Well?" He asks impatiently. "Do you?"

I squint at the man. He is a raccoon with a shaggy beard and cold green eyes. He is a yellow hedgehog with a red T-shirt. I feel like I know that man, I know that man. Even though I don't know who it is, I know him.

"No," I say.

He looks at me knowingly. "You're lying. I can see it in your eyes."

I feel like panicking. He knows, of course he knows, he's Candor. That's why I despise them all, they just know everything. They are like the Erudite that way, manipulating to get to the truth.

"You could save me if you told me! You could save me!" He's practically begging me.

"Well," I say, leaning closer to his face that I can see cold, merciless gray eyes behind his thick sunglasses. "I don't."

I'm back in the testing room again. I'm back to find my test instructor looking at me in pure horror. I'm puzzled. What happened? Did I do something wrong? In a simulation even?

"What are my results?" I ask nonchalantly, trying to sound innocent.

She doesn't change her expression when she says,"Your test results were inconclusive."

Inconclusive? What? My mind is raging with thoughts. I feel anger coursing through me.

"But this is supposed to tell me who I am! This is supposed to tell me where I belong!" I cry out unable to contain myself. "How am I supposed to know what faction I belong in!"

"The test," she says. "Didn't work in you."

My eyes widen.

"Inconclusive results, they call this, Divergent." She says softly. "You can't let anyone find out about you, Divergence is a seriously dangerous and deadly thing. They'll kill you, if they know you are Divergent."

I pause, and cling to her every word.

"Don't speak your results to anyone. Not another living soul. I'll report your by hand and say you were Abnegation." She says and clears the screen of the computer.

She signals for me to leave. I do, with the word coursing through my mind. What is it? How did this go wrong? It's beyond my control now, the test is over, and I've come out worse then when I came in. I can't get her words out of my mind,"They'll kill you, if they know you are Divergent."

Dangerous. Deadly. Divergent. That's what I am.


End file.
